Another Isolated Incident

In Indianapolis:

Marye Minton, 70, and her 72-year-old husband were awoken early Thursday to officers banging on the door of their home…

Marye Minton said she is upset that the officers came inside and ordered her husband, who is in poor health, onto the ground.

"They said to him, 'Get on the floor,' like that, and see my husband's had four strokes, and he can't whoop anybody, he can't do anything," she said. "I'm very mad and I don't want it to happen to another citizen."

Officers were trying to serve a warrant for a man wanted on drug charges. The address listed on the paperwork was 4042. The Minton's home is 4048, with both house numbers clearly marked.

But Major Mark Robinett of the Marion County Sheriff's Department, who is in charge of warrant sweeps, said he was told that officers had a difficult time reading the addresses because of overcast skies.

MORE: My mistake. Jacob Sullum blogged this one yesterday.

Comments

[Cracker\'s Boy]

I'm pretty sure that there's a flashlight on the end of the fucking MP5s they pointed at the seniors.

Dammit to Hell.

It's about time, boys.

CB

[SugarFree]

officers had a difficult time reading the addresses because of overcast skies

You might laugh, but that exactly how it went down when the US Postal Service kicked down my door at 4am to deliver a birthday card that was really for the woman across the street.

These sort of mistakes happen. I'm sure transposed, mis-copied, and misunderstood numbers won't be a problem at all when it comes to government run health care. 5 units of insulin and 50 units of insulin are basically the same amount anyway, right?

[Warren]

Jacob beat you by a day on this one Radley

http://www.reason.com/blog/show/134278.html

[oldtimer]

"officers had a difficult time reading"

There, fixed

[Cabeza de Vaca]

Incidents like this scare the hell out of me. I live in a high crime neighborhood, where police raids on homes happen every couple of months. I've already had the police come to my home by mistake. They were looking for my neighbor who lives across the street. I guess I'm lucky he didn't do anything that would provoke a SWAT raid.

[hmm]

slow like dead kitty. you lose!

Someone mentioned it previously, but I really can't help but wonder when the backlash is coming. People already don't trust the badge.

[Xeones]

Jacob beat you by a day on this one Radley

Yeah, i figure Sullum's bleeding in an alley somewhere for stepping on Balko's turf.

[libertymike]

hmm, "already?"

[Cabeza de Vaca]

To add more to the story.

My neighbor across the street who's a ex-con saw the police leave my house & then they arrested him. He thought I called the cops on him & he was really pissed off. It was really difficult to convince him otherwise.

[domoarrigato]

MORE: My mistake. Jacob Sullum blogged this one yesterday.

Get ready for the reason contributer steel cage extravaganza: two men enter, one man leaves. My money's on Balko.

[jpocali]

Bullshat! This a-hole just looked everyone in the eyes and honestly thought we would believe that the clouds made it had to see an address? They must have been some clouds! Why dose no one at these press conferences ever say- With all due respect sir, I believe you are full of crap!

[P Brooks]

We're talking about the Marion County Sheriff's Dept.

Those fuckers can barely figure out which shoe goes on which foot.

[DADIODADDY]

P. Brooks
When did those fuckers start getting shoes?

[Paul]

You know, maybe we are being too hard on cops. Take my mail. Not two days goes by when I get a piece of mail for 3048 27 Ave Sw, when my address is 4088 28th Ave Sw*

My mailman can't hit this address right in the light of day when it's clearly marked on the house and all he's got to do is get a ValPak coupon booklet into my mailbox.

How can we expect cops, with all the heavy gear on, radio chatter in their ears, helmets, Oakley sunglasses, low IQ's and adrenaline to get the address right in the dark of night?

*addresses shown are examples and not real.

[BoscoH]

MORE: My mistake. Jacob Sullum blogged this one yesterday.

Now you can appreciate how difficult it is for steroid addicted hooligans to find the right addresses.

[TrickyVic]

Paul, so your argument is that mailmen are dumb so it's ok for cops to be dumb too? 😉